If you are planning a corporate event in Europe in 2025, attendees and exhibitors will be required to apply for the European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS), which is set to launch later this year.  

Citizens from visa-exempt countries, like the U.S., will need to apply for an electronic travel authorization before visiting the European Union (EU) for short-term stays of 90 days or less.  

Due to start six months after the Entry/Exit System is deployed (no date is listed yet on the EU web site), every traveler entering Europe without a visa will need one, potentially impacting an estimated 1.4 billion visitors annually. 

Snapshot: What Event Planners Need to Know Now 

Purpose: To enhance border security by conducting pre-travel checks on visa-exempt visitors to identify potential security risks.  

Who needs it: Citizens from most visa-exempt countries wishing to travel to the EU.  

Application process: An online application form that will likely require basic personal information and passport details.  

Validity: ETIAS will be valid for multiple entries within a set period.  

Cost: 7 Euros 

We wanted to know how corporate event planners, destination management companies (DMCs) and meeting brokers are preparing for the new travel requirements. Here’s what we learned from several destination management and meetings professionals in the know. 

DMC Network Managing Director Aoife Delaney 

How are you preparing to communicate the new ETIAS requirements to your attendees, exhibitors, and stakeholders to ensure smooth travel arrangements for your 2025 events in the EU? 

We are proactively communicating the ETIAS requirements by including detailed information in our presentations from the first proposal stage, ensuring our clients are informed well in advance. The ETIAS information provided is consistent across all our destinations, and our teams have been thoroughly briefed on the new requirements to ensure we can effectively respond to any client inquiries. 

Information includes links to relevant websites providing detailed information on the ETIAS process and eligibility for ETIAS.  Additionally, we have planned ongoing program of direct communication channels on socials and in our email campaigns, to reach our clients with relevant info, ensuring everyone is aware of the new regulations. 

What steps are you taking to integrate the ETIAS application process into your event registration or travel planning workflows, and how do you plan to support international travelers unfamiliar with the system? 

As a DMC, we provide ETIAS information to our clients to integrate into their event registration process with necessary intel, clear instructions, and links to dedicated websites and are available to provide additional support through FAQs, personalized assistance, and access to our team for troubleshooting any issues that may arise during the application process. 

Given the additional administrative step for travelers, how might the ETIAS requirements impact attendance or participation rates at your events, and what contingency plans are in place to address potential challenges? 

While we anticipate that the introduction of ETIAS may cause some initial concerns, we’re confident that timely and clear communication will minimize any potential barriers to attendance of our events. 

We will provide regular reminders to our clients throughout the event process to ensure attendees start the ETIAS process in good time and preferably before registering and booking travel to ensure their application is approved. 

We’re committed to ensuring a smooth and seamless experience for our clients and will continue to prioritize effective communication and support throughout the planning stages for events in our destinations. 

Meetings Made Easy Meeting Broker, Global Hotel and Venue Sourcing Yvette Campbell 

The new ETIAS requirements have been on our radar for over one year, but the implementation by the EU keeps getting pushed back. It takes planning ahead, as Americans will need it for all 30 EU countries except the UK. The good news: ETIAS is valid for three years, and travelers only need to apply one week in advance of travel.  

In the back half of the year, we are working with two events--one in Rome and one in Lisbon—where attendees may be required to obtain the ETIAS, unless the implementation is pushed back further. Attendees must apply themselves.  

To communicate the new requirements to attendees, we recommend sending save-the-date mailers to prepare for ETIAS about two months out. On the event registration website, we suggest including some wording like: “Have you applied for ETIAS? Yes or No,” with links to the application. In addition to verbiage on the FAQs section of the event website, we advise email notifications with instructions to attendees. 

Meeting Masters Inc. President Diane Fulton 

Currently, we have one event scheduled for Madrid in October that could be impacted. It’s a well-traveled audience, so we don’t anticipate too many issues. Following COVID travel requirements, travelers have been trained to deal with forms and additional requirements to travel, especially internationally. To make attendees aware of the new requirement, we are working with the event organizers to provide links with online registration and information for an FAQ section on the event website. In addition, we will include reminders in “Know Before You Go” communications.